Pan-Seared Lettuce with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Drowning in salad? Make this (and other things I ate this week)
Ciao amici!
Given that I spend half the year craving fresh greens, come July, I’m always horrified to admit that I’m drowning in them. Through my work with Ayurveda, I’ve also discovered my digestive system prefers cooked vegetables.
The solution?
Cooked salad!
Ok, hear me out.
First of all, not all salad can be cooked. You have to start with a heartier variety like Romaine, Gem Lettuce, and Arugula (think pizza). Or, a lettuce-like vegetable that is meant to be cooked, like Escarole, Radicchio, Endive, and Frisee (also known as Curled Endive), commonly used in Italian cooking.
Once you try cooked salad, you’ll want to make it on repeat. There are three ways to cook salad: pan-searing, oven-roasting, and my preferred method, grilling.
However, last night I couldn’t be bothered to light the charcoal grill (which I insisted on getting when I was developing the recipes for Feast By Firelight). So I opted to pan-sear two small heads of baby gem lettuce and one sprawling frisee (recipe below ↓).
Whichever method you choose, you’ll end up with a smokey, succulent, part-crispy bed for dressing as you wish. Yesterday I kept it simple with extra virgin olive oil, a generous layer of shaved parmigiano reggiano (no extra salt needed), and my favorite freshly ground Zanzibar Black Peppercorns from Burlap & Barrel.
Reminder for paid subscribers: when you make a purchase of $15+ at Burlap & Barrel, you’ll receive a free peppercorn grinder using the code from the JULY Meal Plan - remember to add it to your cart! You can also shop my favorite herbs and spices in the Emma Frisch Collection.
More fabulous combinations include:
Romaine with Caesar Dressing and Croutons
Frisee with Honey-Mustard Dressing (see JUNE Meal Plan), Crumbled Blue Cheese and Capers
Baby Gem Lettuce with a simple Balsamic Vinaigrette (see FREE Meal Plan) with Goat Cheese, Blueberries, and an extra drizzle of honey
There’s no hard science to cooking salad. It’s ready when it looks appropriately charred, seared, or roasted to YOU! You may want a light char or prefer it near-burnt.
At the very least, there’s no such thing as undercooking your salad.
Keep scrolling for the recipe for Pan-Seared Lettuce with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano ↓
What I Cooked This Week
A reminder that these are ideas, with some links to recipes, but not all.
I’m coming off several weeks of grappling with illness. First I caught a Lyme bullseye where I had a tick bite. Though I wasn’t yet symptomatic, I was immediately treated with Doxycycline, a fierce antibiotic that wreaks havoc on my digestive system. Days after ending treatment, I got Covid. Yes, I’m OK! Promise!
In an effort to restore my gut health and immune system, I’ve been prioritizing fermented foods and warm, cooked stews and soups (and the occasional salad):
Homemade kefir with kefir grains from my friend, which came from her mother-in-law who brought them over from Russia 20 years ago! Let that sink in. I started my mornings with fresh kefir over homemade granola and black cap raspberries.
Idli pancakes on repeat, with a range of toppings
Patty pan squash yellow curry with fresh basil, over rice
Fresh arugula with marinated artichokes (from GreenStar Coop), sliced cucumbers, kalamata olives, anchovies, EVOO and red wine vinegar
More Chocolate Zucchini Cake because the zukes keep coming in from the farms and this recipes is so dang good.
Your turn! What are you cooking and eating right now? Please share your ideas with me — and each other — in the comments below!
With pond-matted curls,
♡ Emma
Pan-Seared Lettuce with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Yield: 2-4 servings ⎹ Prep time: 5 min ⎹ Cook time: 5-7 minutes ⎹ Level: Easy
Notes: You can use any other lettuce you prefer. Just ensure it will fit in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or pan when halved.
Consider buying local and organic: Because you’re not chopping and thoroughly washing your lettuce, and because you want sturdy, fresh heads, consider buying lettuce that’s organically grown and hasn’t traveled miles in various containers and trucks to be with you.
To prepare the lettuce: Remove any bruised outer leaves. Lightly rinse off visible dirt from the exterior and stem. Avoid saturating the head with water.
Ingredients
2 heads baby gem lettuce, washed and halved
1 head frisee, washed and halved
Extra virgin olive oil
About 1/2 cup shaved or grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet, and slowly warm the oil over medium heat.
Once hot (you can test by adding a piece of lettuce to see if it sizzles), add the lettuce, cut-side down. Sear for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Use tongs to flip and repeat on the other side.
Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle with additional olive oil over top, and evenly sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
In case you missed it…
This month’s meal plan is an excellent source of recipes for summer dining. I’ve included a 1-month free trial when you upgrade to paid!
My system prefers cooked everything! I get it 😂